Bravery Awards: Mountain men honoured in deadly blizzard rescue

John (second from left) and Matt Painting reunited with their family, Chrissie (left) and Karen. Picture / Nicola Topping

Six years ago Hugo Verhagen and his Search and Rescue colleagues, Shaun Campbell and Kerry Palmer, faced some of the most punishing conditions experienced on the Kaimanawa Ranges.

But the thought of three stranded trampers perishing from hypothermia - atop an exposed ridge more than 10km away - trumped any idea of turning back for their own safety.

"I'm pretty pleased we made that call to continue," Mr Verhagen told the Weekend Herald soon after learning of his award for bravery.

"That and some other crucial decisions we made in preparation of the rescue were key to its success. I'm proud we made those decisions."

Ploughing ahead in the face of 80-knot winds through knee-deep snow and freezing temperatures almost certainly saved the lives of Auckland father and son John and Matthew Painting and Rotorua man Brian Pickering.

On the previous day, September 25 2000, the Paintings were caught in a deadly blizzard at 1500m.

By sheer chance, Mr Pickering came across the pair and phoned to raise the alarm.

Risking his own life, Mr Pickering stayed with the pair, helped them to shelter, and bunkered down for the night in the storm that was described as a one-in-50-year event.

Sent in at 8 o'clock that night, the first Search and Rescue team was forced to turn back after nearly eight hours of painstaking tramping, some of it on hands and knees.

A second team consisting of Mr Verhagen, Mr Campbell and Mr Palmer - who had trained together at Turangi's Outdoor Pursuits Centre - took over at 4.45am.

Raging winds on the exposed ridgeline regularly blew rescuers off their feet. At times the men became buried in snow drifts, and the extreme gale even made breathing difficult.

The rescuers finally reached their stricken targets five hours later.

"We didn't fear so much for ourselves," Mr Verhagen said.

"We feared for the people that were up there, knowing they were suffering in those conditions - they were horrific."

"It feels good [to have saved lives], for sure. It's nice to be recognised for what we did."

The key had been knowing what to expect.

Extra clothing and a special tent had been packed, which were crucial to the men's recovery from early stages of hypothermia.

Within five minutes a new tent was erected which raised the temperature of the men's environment from less than 0C to 17C.

Dry clothing was used to replace the wet and cold threads.

Mr Verhagen said although he had not heard directly from Mr Painting or Mr Pickering since the drama, many people were involved in the rescue at the time.

He was no longer involved in Search and Rescue work, he said, and owned a landscaping business in Hamilton.

"Shaun is in Auckland and I believe he is involved in filming. Kerry is still a field manager at the Outdoor Pursuits Centre in Turangi, and has a team of 18 under his belt."

All three rescuers were awarded the bravery medal this week.

* In January 2005 Mr Pickering was awarded the New Zealand Bravery Decoration for his part in the rescue.

In April 2005 the three members of the first rescue team were also awarded the New Zealand Bravery Medal for their attempts on the mountain that night.